O'Brien Named Young Referee Of The Year

David O'Brien from the Connacht Association of Referees has been named the 2007 Young Referee of the Year. It is the first time that this award has gone to someone from the west and it is indicative of the efforts being made by the Connacht Referees Association.

David hails from Cork but in 2006 he joined the Connacht Association of Referees and was immediately put forward for further development, and at the start of last season he was put on the IPAS (Inter Provincial Appointment System) panel.

This is a panel where referees, having being nominated by their province, are appointed by the IRFU to referee a number of top quality matches in the other provinces. This system enables the IRFU Referees Committee to have an accurate database at their disposal, in order to make referee appointments to the National Panel. This pathway proved successful for Oâ00Brien and he was selected for the National Panel for the coming season which already boasts fellow Connacht referee David Connolly. David's biggest game to date was the 2007 Connacht Schools Final when Garbally College took on Marist College Athlone. He has come a long way from his first game in 1999 when he took charge of an Under-16s game between his local club and a touring English side, a match in which he describes his performance as "not great."

On receiving the Young Referee of the Year, David said: "I am delighted to receive the award. Getting into the National Panel for 2007/8 was my main goal last season and thankfully I did it. Receiving this award is a great honour and from a personal point of view it's nice to know that the effort that I put in over the course of last season was deserving of such an award.

"I have to thank the IRFU Referees Department who, under the stewardship of Owen Doyle, has given me enormous help and support, the Connacht Referees Association, who have been very helpful to me since joining the association, and my club Cobh Pirates and its members, who are the reason I am involved in rugby in the first place and that I have such a love for the game."

The countdown is on to the Women's Sevens Dublin tournament in UCD on August 22-23. Anthony Eddy, IRFU Director of Rugby Sevens & Women's Rugby, previews what promises to be an exciting couple of days.

Tickets for the tournament start at 5 euro, with children free, and are available to buy here - http://www.ticketmaster.ie/Womens-Sevens-Series-tickets/artist/2134381?tm_link=artist_artistvenue_module.

Jenny Murphy talks about the progress made by the Ireland Women's Sevens team and their pool draw for the upcoming Women's Sevens Dublin tournament in UCD on August 22-23.

Tickets for the tournament start at 5 euro, with children free, and are available to buy here - http://www.ticketmaster.ie/Womens-Sevens-Series-tickets/artist/2134381?tm_link=artist_artistvenue_module.

Conor Murray and Tommy Bowe speak to Irish Rugby TV about their Rugby World Cup preparations and thank the thousands of supporters who came out to see the players at the open training session at the Sportsground.

Ireland captain Paul O'Connell gives his verdict on the team's new Rugby World Cup jersey and talks about his move to French club Toulon. Ireland's RWC 2015 range is available to pre-order now from http://shop.irishrugby.ie.

Anthony Eddy, IRFU Director of Rugby Sevens, talks about the target of a top three finish for both the Ireland Men and Women in Lisbon this weekend, as they continue on their quests for Olympic qualification.

Tom Daly, who recently captained the Ireland Men's Sevens team to the European Division C and B titles, is looking forward to playing in this weekend's Rugby Europe Olympic Repechage tournament in Lisbon, Portugal.

Ireland will host the 'Women's Sevens Dublin' at UCD on Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23. Tournament director Garrett Tubridy and Ireland stars Lucy Mulhall, Jenny Murphy and Louise Galvin speak about their excitement ahead of the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series qualifier.

Coach Allen Clarke and stand-in captain Billy Holland answer questions from the media following Emerging Ireland's 45-12 victory over Georgia in the final round of their successful Tbilisi Cup campaign.

Emerging Ireland coach Allen Clarke speaks about his side's five-try 33-7 win over Uruguay in the Tbilisi Cup and the first half injury to captain Rhys Ruddock. They wrap up the tournament against hosts Georgia on Sunday.

Speaking about the floods that occurred following the Tbilisi Cup's first round, Emerging Ireland team manager Joey Miles said: "A natural event like that, a tragedy like that puts the game of rugby into perspective. We express our regrets to the Georgian people and the Georgian Union for the terrible tragedy that they had."

David O'Reilly from the IRFU Charitable Trust's Corporate Patrons Committee speaks about the new scheme which provides businesses with unique networking opportunities and provides a platform for companies to effectively activate their CSR programmes. For further information, please contact Linda Black of the Charitable Trust - telephone (01) 6473866 or email: linda.black@irfu.ie / http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/34728.php.